It’s surprising to think that a dance movie franchise could make it all the way to a fifth film, and that this most recent instalment is getting a cinema release, but this is the case with Step Up: All In.
Apparently continuing on from the previous movie, Step Up: All In follows Sean and his dance crew The Mob as they move onto new opportunities and fresh challenges. Not having kept up with the Step Up movies since the first in the franchise – or as I like to refer to it, the love story of Channing Tatum meeting his wife – I was a little in the dark about the previous adventures of The Mob. But as it turned out, this was not going to be a problem.
The film spends a lot less time on plot than it does on dance-fighting, but this is probably a wise move. The story certainly works for what it is, but the choice to focus mainly on dancing provides plenty of opportunities for the accomplished dancers in the film to show off what they do best.
I went into this movie with low expectations, but I ended up having a pretty good time. It’s not exactly Citizen Kane, but nor is it trying to be. It’s not afraid to make fun of itself, which is a nice surprise, and I ended up laughing along with the film much more than I was laughing at it. If you’re not into dance movies then you’ll obviously give this one a miss, but if you are then this should make for a fun bit of escapism.
3/5 stars
Step Up: All In opens in cinemas on Thursday September 11.
